Remote dental care has become a mainstay in 2020, and continues to extend into 2021 and beyond.
The rapid adoption of teledentistry combined with patient satisfaction and demand has created opportunity for dental professionals. Amongst the most searched dentistry jobs is “teledentistry careers”, and with good cause. The popularity of virtual visits is growing amongst the general patient population, the time and costs saving are reflected for both patients and providers.
Teledentistry for Dentists
Enter teledentistry jobs into an internet search engine and you will be met with a variety of opportunities that are hiring for positions to provide virtual care, mostly applicable to dentists. The ability to provide a virtual consult, whether for another employer or via referrals to your own practice, can be enticing. For the semi-retired dentist to the newly licensed dentist, teledentistry provides and avenue to additional income from the safety and comfort of home.
The opportunity to expand a dental practice model is not limited to working for someone else and waiting for patients to find you. Dentists are embracing the many benefits that teledentistry affords their own practice. Using an all-in-one platform, such as TeleDent, enables the dentist to capture the patient populations that may be hesitant to return to in-person care. The typical limited exam takes 30-minutes in your schedule, from barriers to PPE the time and cost for a quick check adds up. With TeleDent a quick evaluation can determine whether the patient needs to be seen in-person for further treatment and how much chair time should be allotted for the needed procedure. The dental office can save on PPE, barriers and room turnover and essentially the chair is available for revenue generating restorative procedures. Did you know the average virtual visit takes only about 15 minutes when there is no room-turnover involved?
Expanding Hygiene Opportunities
Dental hygienists are not to be forgotten in the field of teledentistry. Many hygienists look for alternative practice settings and other opportunities to work in another capacity other than the typical traditional clinical setting. Teledentistry has provided an avenue to expand practice models, allowing hygienists to practice somewhat independently, all while within the state’s practice act.
Mobile dentistry was a steadily growing field prior to the pandemic, with dentists and hygienists dedicated to bringing care to some of the most at-risk patient populations. School based programs screened and provided care to students throughout the country, referring them to a dental office as needed. Hygienists built businesses, bringing care to the residents of long-term care facilities where it could be argued the need is the greatest.
Hygienists are creating their own businesses bringing care to the patient in mobile dentistry vans or mobile equipment into the comfort of the patient’s home. Screening and providing preventative treatment to the patient, capturing images and conducting synchronous and asynchronous virtual visits, referrals and collaboration with the dentist of record ensures the patients is receiving the best care possible.
MouthWatch and TeleDent helps mobile programs
MouthWatch recognizes the struggles and perseverance that mobile dentistry providers have dealt with during the pandemic. As mobile programs begin to resume operations and dentists and hygienists move forward to provide care utilizing teledentistry, we encourage you to apply for the TeleDent Mobile Dentistry Accelerator Award .